Thursday, March 14, 2013

This is a video of a girl "whacking her horse" after a refusal in a competition. Why post this? Well, it's partly a cautionary tale for all of us. Remember that your split-second impulse and public display of bad temper is likely-as-not to be captured by some smartass with an iphone who is going to post it to Youtube. Now for eternity you will be the girl who beats her horse.

So here's the footage:

You might be expecting me to wag a finger at this spoiled brat of a girl, and hint that she doesn't deserve a horse.

I can't throw too many stones here...
I had a bit of a moment at a schooling show last spring. Bob, my
videographer, came late to the show and missed videotaping my first
ride. I didn't whack him (he wisely stayed beyond armslength) but I screamed at him
like a fishwife. I took some ribbing about it later, and I later caught others at the show offering expressions of sympathy to Bob. This did not improve my mood.

Also I whacked Riley with a broom after he pulled on my Anky Elegance boots and broke the zipper. Thank God that was not captured on tape. It was ugly.

Now about this girl
Honestly? I feel a little sorry for her. Yes, the behavior is to
be discouraged, and yes, she probably needs a good lecture and some negative "consequences" for what looks like a public tantrum. If the behavior was unacceptable, it was also ineffectual. The horse looks oblivious through the whole ordeal. My
guess is that hanging on to the reins
during the fall probably hurt him more than the swipe she took at him. Keep in mind, too, that
she looks like she's been hurt. Pain and anger can go hand in hand -- it can cloud your judgement for sure.

She looks lonely limping over toward the exit gate. I'm going to cut her some slack.

agree! Except, after whacking her horse I doubt he would have come to her at all. Next time that rider comes off he probably wont stand there like he did this time. He seems like an honest horse with great training.

I saw this video a while ago, and I remember thinking, "If she will react that way at a show in front of lots of people, how badly does she lose her temper with her horse when nobody is watching?" Yes, we can all lose our tempers a bit and I will admit to calling my horse a mother-f@cker the other night after he leaped into the air and landed on my toe. But this girl gave her horse a bad ride over the entire course, her horse was a saint the whole time, and then after he stopped because of her bad riding, she wails on him with a crop. That kid needs a serious attitude adjustment.

I have to agree with billie and Ruckus. Part of what this video illustrates so beautifully is that horses simply react to what is happening to them or around them with utter honesty. These animals are incapable of revenge or putting together a plan to "get back" at their people. It just isn't in their nature, and people who think such things are woefully misinformed as to how the equine mind works. The girl was unbalanced, stiff and getting ahead of her horse. The horse wasn't set up for the jump properly, and after having to fill in for his rider, did what he had to do to get the message across. It was communication in the only way he knew how. Her response was out of anger, (likely) embarrassment, ignorance and immaturity.

There are plenty of riders out there, of all ages, who are happy to blame the horse because they don't know any better, and because they don't understand the ways in which horses work. The idea that horses behave badly is a complete misnomer; it's all communication, folks.

Having done hunter/jumper for many many many years.. this horse is a great horse, and the rider was just waaaaaayyyy off on this ride. If I was the horse I would have been thoroughly annoyed with the rider. You can see him, after each jump he increases in frustration. And he just had enough. I'm not sure she always rides like that, but this round she did. I've had plenty of rides worse than this one. I've ridden plenty of refusals. I'm not blaming the girl for this one, I'm blaming the trainer (well, if it happens ever again or if this wasn't the first time)! I sure hope that trainer took her poor reaction seriously and reprimanded her severely. Horses are dumb animals, they don't understand a human world. They are amazing creatures with so much patience. But that horse didn't stop out of "spite".. it just stopped because the rider was riding poorly and causing the horse pain.. wouldn't you stop if you're in pain? If my student intentionally reacted out of anger and struck a horse or ANY animal or child or other human I would have one SERIOUS talk with them and lay out the future consequences for such behavior. NOT ACCEPTABLE, but I it's unfortunate that this video will follow her for forever most likely. Hopefully this was a one time situation.